Paris Conference, Versailles Treaty; aims and conflicts of divided allies, continued

The treaty concluding World War I is as controversial as the origins of the war. Many historians continue to believe that the "Treaty of Versailles" signed by the victorious powers of France, Britain, Italy and Great Britain was harsh, unfair and shortsighted in its treatment of the defeated powers, especially Germany. Many see the resentment caused by this treaty as one of the causes of World War II twenty years later.

More recently, historians have re-examined this interpretation. They have concluded this earlier interpretation overstates the harshness of the treaty towards Germany and sees the effects of the treaty as more complex than simply leading to German resentment and World War II.

In this module, we will examine the historical background of the Treaty of Versailles, read sections of the treaty, see and hear some of the main historical actors who wrote the treaty and, finally, evaluate competing interpretations of this world historical event.